Research Summary
I am a faculty person in the Department of Geography and the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Program at the University of Utah. My research focuses on environmental justice, health disparities, and social vulnerability to hazards/disasters. My projects apply multiple methods (e.g., spatial analysis, statistics, survey research, as well as qualitative) to examine human dimensions of flooding, wildfire, air pollution, climate change, and other environmental phenomena.
Education
- BA, Geography, California State University, Chico
- MA, Geography, California State University, Chico
- PhD, Geography, Arizona State University
Biography
I was born in Los Angeles and raised in both LA and North Carolina. I completed my undergraduate and Master’s degrees at California State University, Chico, and my Ph.D. at Arizona State University. I was a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso from 2006 through 2017. In 2018, I moved the Department of Geography and the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Program at the University of Utah. My research is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and focused on environmental justice, health disparities, and social vulnerability to hazards/disasters. My research projects rely on applying multiple methods (e.g., spatial analysis, statistics, survey research, as well as qualitative) to examine human dimensions of flooding, wildfire, air pollution, climate change, and other environmental phenomena. I have led research and student training projects funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Environmental Protection Agency, and I have served as Chair of the Hazards, Risks, and Disasters Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers. I am interested in working with students and faculty on research projects that develop novel insights about society-environment and sustainability topics.